News in Brief: Daniel Ellsberg, Col. Ann Wright Among 30 Arrested for Protesting Against Abuse of Bradley Manning, and More

Approximately 30 protesters were arrested near the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia on Sunday while protesting the imprisonment of Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of releasing thousands of classified military and government documents to whistleblower web site WikiLeaks, according to The Washington Post. Among the protesters arrested was Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who released government documents, known today as the Pentagon Papers, detailing US strategy in Vietnam. Former Arm Col. Ann Wright was also arrested after a mostly peaceful demonstration led to a sit-in across Jefferson Davis Highway.

Public Radio Budget Cuts Could Impact Hundreds of Thousands in Rural Alaska

In rural cities in Alaska, a public radio station that broadcasts information about current events, school board meetings, local news and extreme weather is often the only network available to the town's residents, McClatchy Newspapers writes. If Congress decides to limit or cut government funding of public broadcasting, the state's population of 700,000 could be hit hard, particularly in areas that only receive access to small, local stations. Petersburg's KFSK-FM, which is situated on an island in Alaska's southeast, is the only network to reach a community of 4,000 people, including those working at sea on fishing vessels. "I budget to take care of the equipment and the facility so our door is open for the community," said station manager Tom Abbott. "I really have a philosophy that this is the public's asset, and we're just here to take care of it."

Critical Work in Japanese Nuclear Plants Stalled as Smoke Rises

Workers attempting to bring Japan's nuclear plants under control in the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami were delayed on Monday after two buildings began to emit plume of smoke, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The cause of the smoke is under investigation. Plant workers evacuated from the plant to nearby buildings as officials began checking radiation levels, while Gov. Yuhei Sato told the area's displaced residents, currently taking up shelter in a gymnasium 50 miles away, "Don't give up. We know you are suffering." Both of the plant's reactors have overheated and had explosions since the March 11 disaster.

White House Says Qaddafi Is Not the Target of Military Action

Senior White House official Ben Rhodes said that allied military action in Libya is meant to protect civilians, according to Reuters. The airstrikes are not targeting Qaddafi in an attempt to push the country's leader out of office. "It's not about regime change," Rhodes said.